Superheater



Oct. 18, 1932. H. .J. KERR SUPERHEATER Filed Nov. 20. 1930 ifi INVENTOR .Naald/'Cf JJC'e/v B ATTORNEY ingly supported from a fixture 32 referably the drawing t e means for accomplishing such support include anchors34 having tension members 35 pivoted thereto. The members 35 aresu ported by cross plates 36 resting upon the ture 32. With this construction movements of the upper portions of the superheater to and from the furnaeecenter are accommodated.

The superheater structure is maintained in its operative position by guides herein shown as parallel-uprights 38 and 40 straddling the lower header 18. These guides also' maintain operative relationships of the su erheater parts when adjustments are eifecte The upriglits 38 and 40 are illustrated'as affixed to a racket 42 preferably secured to the fixed wall 44 forming a side of the boiler furnace construction.

Adjacent the upper header 16 the su erheater is arranged relative to the upper urnace wall 46 so as to maintain-a substantially gas-tight furnace side, but to rovide for the lateral shiftings of the super eater wall under the influence of ltemperature changes. The arrangement illustrated includes a head 48 formed of heatresisting material. This head is an extension of the wall 12 and is formed with a shoulder 50 which under extreme conditions can contact with a complementary shoulder 52 formedon the furnace wall 46. Adequate clearance between the upper bends 54 vof the superheater tubes and a correspondingly curved portion 56 of the upper furnace wall accommodates the curvature change of the superheater tubes attendant upon a change in temperature.

Near the lower header 18 the flexibility and change in temperature of the superheater wall is permitted by a construction including a joint seal 58 preferably closely fitting the superheater tubes. This seal overlaps a shoulder on `the lower furnace `wall 44 in such a manner that it slides along that shoulder when the lower header shifts vertically with respect to the upper header. The lower end 62 of the wall 12 extends along the lower parts 64 of the tubes 10 and abuts against the seal 58 in a gas-tight relations 1 dequate clearance between the lower bends of the tubes 10 and the furnace wall 44 is provided. The latter wall is formed with an upstanding portion 66 preferably formed with a surface curved similarly to the curve of the lower bends of the tubes 10 and s aced therefrom to allow inward bowin o the tubes without contact between the tu s and the wall.

Bly use of a plurality of connectors 20 arranged lalon the length of the headers 16 and 18, the Iatter are maintained in parallelism. When the superheater tubes are equally heated this arrangement of elements further assures such uniform bowing of the tubes that the inte it of the superheater 'wall is maintaine Ihe intcrposition of heat resisting material relative to the superheater tubes prevents lateral displacements of the tubes with consequent interference -with uniform steam flow.

The illustrative superheater is indicated in connection with a water tube boiler construction having a header 68, sla screen tubes 70 and water tubes 72; 74 in icates a part of a boiler casing construction outside of the header 68.

Although this invention has been described with reference to the specific structure shown in the drawings'it is to be understood that it is not limited thereto but is of a sco e commensurate with the scope of the su joined claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: t

l. Apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, a furnace, a superheater entrance header, an exit header, connectors extending from one header to the other and secured thereto to maintain the operative relationship of the headers and to suspend the lower header from the upper steam fiow tubes formed as a furnace wall and connected into header circulation and having bowedl parts forming a curved wall resented to the radiant heat of the burning nel in the furnace, and means connecting said parts to the headers.

2. A steam superheater comprising,incom bination, an entrance header, means or pendently supporting said header, an exit header, connectors. tying the headers together and pendently supporting one from the other, and superheater tubes forming with the headers a steam circulatin unit said tubes having their midportions ormed on the are of a circle of a radius sufficiently large to enable the portions to constitute a part of an upright furnace wall.

3. A steam superheater having upper and lower headers, means for suspending the superheater-from the upper header a series of adjustable tie members between theupper and lower headers, means for connecting the tie members to the headers at uniformly spaced positions throughout the length of the headers, and ides for maintaining the lower header wit in the same vertical confines as it moves in response to expansion and contraction.

4. In a boiler structure, a combustion chamber, a bank of steam superheater tubes eX- posed to the radiant lieat of burning fuel in the combustion chamber, an up er header for the superheater tubes, a lower eader for the l superheater tubes, means for suspending the superheater structure, connectors for tying together the upper and lower headers, and parallel guides for maintaining the lower lll) header in its normal position as varying temperatures in the superheater structure cause expansion and contraction of'the structure.

5.. A steam su erheater, inlet and outlet headers, a row of owed tubes connecting said headers, means for sus er, a series of tie mem ers extending directly from one header to the other, means vfor connecting the tie members to the superheater headers, and guides for maintaining the lower of said headers within the same vertical confines as it moves in esponse to expansion and contraction.

6. In a radiant steam superheater, a furnace Wall, inlet and outlet superheater headers located externally of the furnace wall, a row of adjustable tension members fixed to the headers and extending directly from one to the other, and a row of bowed superheater tubes communicating with the headers and exposed to radiant heat from the furnace.

7 A flexible furnace wall section com rising, in combination, a row of Huid con ucting tubes bowed inwardly toward the center of the furnace throu hout their lengths exposed to radiant heat rom the furnace, a'heat resisting layer formin a backing for the row of tubes, an inlet hea er connected to the inlet ends of the tubes, an outlet header connected with the outlet ends of the tubes, and means directly extending from one header to the other to tie them together.

8. A radiant superheater comprising, in combination, a fixed furnace wall section, a second fixed furnace wall section spaced from the first, a row of bowed fluid conducting tubes extending from one of said sections to the other, a suspended superheater inlet header located externall of the sections,'a sus ended superheater out et header similarly ocated, means directly tying the headersv together, upper and lower tube extensions extending across the opposed faces of connect the headers'with the adjacent ends of the bowed tubes, a refractory layer supported by the tubes, and extensions to form with the sections a gas tight furnace wall, one set of said extensions being spaced from the adjacent face of the adjacent wall section to take care of tube expansion, and a seal member movable with the extensions to close the space adjacent the last mentioned extensions.

9. A Huid heat exchange device having upper and lower headers, a combustion chamber, a bank of Huid conducting tubes exposed to the radiant heat of burning fuel in the combustion chamber and connected to said headers, means for suspending the device from thev upper header, a series of adjustable tie members between the upper and lower headers, means for connecting the tie members to the headers at uniformly spaced positions throughout the length of the headers, and guides for maintaining the lower header ending the superheatsaid sections to within the same vertical confines as it moves in res onse to ex ansion and contraction.

10. n a uid eat exehane device, a combustion chamber, a bank of uid conducting tubes exposed to the radiant heat of burning fuel in the combustion chamber, an upper headed for the tubes, a lower header for the tubes, means for suspending the structure, connectors for tying together the ugnper` and lower headers, and parallel guldes or mamtaining the lower header in its normal position as varying temperatures in thestructure cause expansion and contraction of the device.

HOWARD J. KERR. 

